greater than he could imagine." He dispensed with every particular mark of respect, telling him, that instead of taking off his cap, he need only put his hand to his forehead.

At mid-day, Buonaparte went out with his staff, and placed himself upon a bank on the side of the road, which commanded at view of the field of battle. Shortly afterward, news arrived, that the attack upon the farm and chateau of Hougomont, which he had commenced at eleven o'clock, was unsuccessful.

At one, the battle became general; Buonaparte remained in his first station with his staff until five; he was on foot, and constantly walked backwards and forwards, sometimes with his arms crossed, but chiefly behind his back, with his thumbs in the pockets of a dark-coloured great coat; he had his eyes fixed upon the battle, and pulled out his watch and snuff-box alternately. De Coster, who was on horseback near him, observed frequently his watch, Buonaparte perceiving that De Coster took snuff, and that he had none, gave him several pinches.

When he found that his attempts to force the position of the Chateau of Hougomont had been made in vain, he took a horse, left the farm of Rossum at five p. m., and, riding foremost, halted opposite De Coster's house, about 100 yards from La Belle Alliance. He remained there until 7. At this moment, he, by means of a telescope, perceived the Prussian advance, and communicated it to an aide-de-camp, who upon turning his spying-glass saw them also. Some moments after, an officer came to announce that Bulow's corps approached. Buonaparte replied, that he knew it well, and gave orders for his Guard to attack the centre of the English army; and riding at full gallop, in advance, he placed himself, with his staff, in a hollow made by the road half way between La Belle Alliance and Haye Sainte. This was his third and last position.

Buonaparte and his suite ran great risks to reach this hollow. A bullet struck the pommel of the saddle of one of his officers, without touching him or his horse. Buonaparte contented himself by coolly observing, "that they must remain in this hollow."

Here there was on each side of the road a battery, and perceiving that one of the cannons of the left battery did not play well, he dismounted, ascended the height of the road, advanced to the third piece, and rectified the error, whilst the bullets were hissing around him.

Whilst in this situation, he saw eight battalions of his old Guard, to whom he had given orders to force the centre of the English army, advancing upon Haye Sainte. Three of these battalions were annihilated in his sight, whilst crossing the road, by the firing from the farm and batteries. Nevertheless the French made themselves masters of the farm; and the Hanoverians who occupied it, were obliged to surrender for want of ammunition.

To support the foot guards (gardes à pied) Buonaparte made his horse guards, composed of eight or nine regiments, advance: he waited the result of this charge with the greatest anxiety; but he saw the flower of his army destroyed in an instant, whilst ascending the rise upon which Haye Sainte is situate. This was his last trial; for on seeing his old Guard destroyed, he lost all hope, and on turning towards his officers, said: "A present c'est fini: sauvons(It is now finished, let us save ourselves).

It was half past eight o'clock, and without pursuing any steps, or giving any orders, and taking all possible care to avoid the Prussians, he, accompanied by his staff, rode off, at full gallop, to Genappe. In passing a battery of 14 guns, that was near the Observatory, he ordered that, before they abandoned it to the enemy, they should fire fourteen rounds.

When he arrived at Genappe, it was half past nine o'clock p. m. The only street which forms this village, was so encumbered with caissons and cannon, that it required an entire hour to pass them, alongside the houses; all the inhabitants had forsaken their dwellings. There was no other road to take, because the Prussians occupied the left, and there was no other bridge but that of Genappe, by which to pass the river that flowed there.

From Genappe he advanced towards Quatre Bras, hastening his pace, always afraid the Prussians would arrive before him; he was more tranquil when he had passed this last place, and when arrived at Gosselies, he even dismounted and walked the remainder of the road to Charleroi (about one league). He traversed Charleroi on horseback for two hours and a half, and stopped in a meadow called Marcenelle, at the other end of the town. There they made a large fire, and brought two glasses and two bottles of wine, which he drank with his officers. He took no other nourishment. They spread upon the ground a sack of oats, which his horses eat, in their bridles. At a quarter before five o'clock, after having taken

another guide (to whom he gave the horse that had served De Coster), he remounted, made a slight bow to De Coster, and rode off. Bertrand gave De Coster, for his services, a single Napoleon,* and disappeared, as did also the whole staff, leaving De Coster alone, who was obliged to return home on foot.

During the whole time he was with Buonaparte, he was not ill-treated, except, whilst they were retreating, on their arrival at Quatre Bras, when one of the officers, finding that a second guide which they had with them had escaped, tied the bridle of De Coster's horse to his own saddle as a precautionary measure.

From the moment that Buonaparte began to retreat, until his arrival in the meadow of Marcenelle, he did not stop, nor did he speak to any one. He had taken no nourishment from the time he left the farm Rossum, and De Coster even thinks he had taken nothing from six in the morning.

The dangers of the battle did not seem to affect him. De Coster, who was greatly agitated through fear, lowered his head frequently on the neck of his horse, to avoid the balls which hissed over his head. Buonaparte appeared displeased at it, and told him that those motions made his officers believe that he was wounded; and also added, that he would not escape the balls more by stooping, than by holding himself upright.

During the battle, he often rendered justice to the opposing army he principally praised the Scotch Greys, and expressed much regret to see hem suffer so severely, when they manoeuvred so well, and wielded the sword so dexterously. He also noticed the black squares, (the Brunswickers.)

Until half-past five p. m. he had the greatest hope of success, and repeated every moment, "All goes well." His Generals entertained the same hope. He was perfectly calm, and showed much sang-froid during the action, without appearing out of humour, and always spoke very mildly to his officers.

He was never in danger of being taken prisoner, being always surrounded; even in his third station, where he was nearest to the enemy, he had with him twelve pieces of cannon, and 3000 grenadiers of his guard.

Mr. Warden, in his Letters from St. Helena, states that Buonaparte says, "De Coster might have said five hundred." Q. Editor.

He made no use of the Observatory, which had been constructed six weeks before by the engineers of Holland. (Previous to De Coster's coming to Buonaparte, Buonaparte had mounted the Observatory, and was there for an hour, but never after; this the Editor is assured is the fact, from undoubted authority.)

In his flight, he frequently received news from the army, by Officers who came up with him in their escape from the pursuit of the Allies.

The house of De Coster having served as a bivouac for the French, they burnt all the doors, windows, and wood, that they could find. The rent that he paid was 100 francs. The proprietor, after having repaired it, has let it to another person for 125 francs. De Coster lives at present in a hamlet, called Joli Bois, situate upon the causeway between Waterloo and Mount St. Jean.

This narrative was given at Waterloo, in the cabaret called Jean De Nivelles.*

Extracts from the Journal of a Gentleman, 1815.

JULY 16.-Dined at the farm of La Belle Alliance, the owner of which and his family tarried eight days and nights in the wood. Visited the well, wherein we saw the bodies of eight men of the Imperial Guard of Napoleon; they had jumped down with their arms. Went to the Observatory, it is thirty-six feet high; I nailed on the pinnacle the Royal Arms of Great Britain. John Baptiste Decoster was guide to Napoleon, in consequence of his knowing the country, and remained with him. from Sunday at eight o'clock, till Monday at five; first went to Pont Marcenelle, a league beyond Charleroi ; both were on horseback; gave him a Napoleon at parting. An Aide-de-Camp, three gendarmes and 154 of the staff, all on horseback, followed. The French formed a battery by making holes in the garden-wall; here is another well, in which were found 73 men; the trees in the orchard were peppered very much; the ditch around this orchard was used as a battery, and hundreds killed; saw 84 other pieces of cannon taken from the

* The etymology of this sign is, from the authority of an intelligent Frenchman, as follows:-" Jean de Nivelles" and "a simple ton" are synonimous; and hence, putting them on a level with even the dog of a fool, is frequently applied to a stupid and inattentive waiter.--Extracted from Hill's interesting Tour in Flanders and Holland, shortly after the Battle of Waterloo, with Sketches, 1 vol. 4to. page 80.

enemy; they took home only 12 guns; counted 40 graves, containing English officers, in one acre of ground, resembling dung-heaps. The proprietor of La Belle Alliance is Antoine Herbert.

JULY 19.-Went to the hospitals, and saw at the doors prodigious crowds of females, waiting to administer succour to the wounded; officers and privates were found lying indiscriminately together, but very clean, females of rank attending them with surprising zeal. Saw soldiers slightly wounded, in the field, using the French cuirasses as frying-pans, to dress their victuals. In one place, saw thirty-six, out of seventy-three, who had lost either a leg or an arm, besides flesh wounds

JULY 20.—Visited another hospital, containing 420 wounded, half English and half French, all well taken care of, and very clean. They had all Port wine and strong soups; but many were in a dying state, others the sight quite gone. Returning, witnessed a shocking sight, i. e. the dead drawn along by fish-hooks. They were going to be buried in the fields, by the peasants.

JULY 21.-Visited the field of battle, and saw scattered about prodigious quantities of broken swords, spears, saddles, bridles, caps, all cut in pieces. Picked up two crosses of the Legion of Honour, and an Iron Cross of Prussia. Saw vast numbers of cuirasses taken out of the water, into which they were thrown by the peasants for concealment, and afterwards sold for two francs each. Met waggons full of wounded, crying out from extreme suffering. The water every where quite red. There were twenty thousand wounded at one time in Brussels. All the wells at Waterloo spoiled, by throwing men into them. Churches still full of wounded. No inhabitants around Waterloo. We took a large quantity of camphor with us, as a preventive against infection. Were much annoyed by the incalculable swarms of carrion flies, preying on the carcasses of the horses which still lie unburied. Owing to the dry weather, the ground cracks or opens, and as the bodies of the men buried are not above a foot below the surface, they may still be seen in many places. The Prussians obliged the peasants to bury the dead at the point of the bayonet; many were put to death for refusing.-Since, horses and men have been burnt together.